'This isn't just numbers – but lives': Half of Americans have family members who've been incarcerated

President Donald Trump hailed the first major rewrite of the nation's criminal justice sentencing laws in a generation. Lawmakers reached agreement this week on the bipartisan First Step Act, but it still needs to be voted on by Congress. (Nov. 14)
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A long hallway in a prison with a row of cells to the left.(Photo: Getty Images)

WASHINGTON – One of Felicity Rose's first memories of her father is of the sheet of glass that separated them when she visited him in prison.

Growing up, she tried to hide his past, the prison sentences that kept him behind bars for drug crimes and the ripple effect it had on her family, both financially and psychologically.

Over time, Rose realized her family wasn't alone. Her story was one of millions, as noted in a first-of-its-kind study released Thursday by FWD.us, where Rose works directing research on criminal justice.

Among the findings, obtained first by USA TODAY, were that half of adults in the USA have an immediate family member who has been incarcerated. That's about 113 million people who have a close family member who has spent time behind bars.

The study by FWD.us, an organization critical of U.S. immigration and criminal justice policy, was done in partnership with Cornell University. The conclusions were drawn from a survey of more than 4,000 people, a sample size representative of the U.S. population.

Congress has a massive criminal justice bill on its plate that has bipartisan support – and approval from the president. The First Step Act would be the largest overhaul of the criminal justice system in decades. The measure would give judges more say in sentencing, allow offenders to be incarcerated closer to their families and allow inmates in drug cases the chance to petition for lighter sentences.

The legislation passed the House but stalled in the Senate. Senators have been pushing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to let the measure get a vote.

"There's support on both sides of the aisle. It just doesn't seem like this should be that difficult," said Kevin Ring, president of FAMM, a nonprofit group pushing for changes in the criminal justice system. He said changes in the measure are "modest" in the grand scheme of things, but, like the name suggests, they're a good first step.

"I think this report makes it crystal clear why changes are not only needed but necessary. This isn't just numbers – but lives," said Ring, who was on the advisory board for the study. "We seem to overstate the benefits of prison and understate the costs: people's lives and the lives of their families."

The study found that one in seven people have an immediate family member who has spent at least a year behind bars, and one in 34 people have an immediate loved one who has spent more than 10 years or longer in prison.

The study says arrests affect everyone – including nearly the same number of Republicans and Democrats – but numbers of those affected increase when examining minorities and families living in poverty. The survey says six of 10 African-Americans and Native Americans have an immediate family member who spent time behind bars.

One aim of the report is to show the impact of incarceration and make it a little easier for those affected to talk about it.

"This isn't just a few people, this is millions of people, but yet there's so much shame and stigma attached to this issue, so much so that people just don't talk about it," Rose said. "There is a silent suffering around the country, but people need to know they're not alone."